Peer-to-Peer technologies are increasingly important in the computing world. Instead of traditional client server based computing systems, peer-to-peer technologies are often preferred for many reasons, such as error resilience, cost, scalability, etc. Peer-to-peer techniques are often developed targeting at PC platforms, intended for large communities connected through the Internet. Solutions facing different application areas, e.g. home networks, have different or additional requirements that have not fully been taken into account yet. One common approach for peer-to-peer technology, known as JXTA, is described in WO02/057917. JXTA defines an open, generalized protocol that inter-operates with any peer on the network, for easy development of basic building blocks and services that enable innovative applications for peer groups. E.g. a peer can offer a service by itself or in co-operation with other peers. JXTA offers the concept of grouping peers into a so-called peer-group, using the mentioned peer-to-peer protocols. In the European Patent application EP1427149 this concept is used for the creation of peer-to-peer based home networks, so-called OwnerZones. Before launching a peer-group, all group characteristics and the group software components, also called peer-group services, need to be defined. The peer-group characteristics such as peer-group name, peer-group ID, service description or group description are determined upon creation of the peer-group. After creation of the peer-group however its characteristics cannot be altered. Such static peer-groups are well suited for Internet based applications targeting large audiences, but are of great disadvantage for dynamic peer-groups, where peer groups may frequently change their group characteristics. A common solution to dynamically add, delete or alter group services is to send messages called peer-group advertisements (PGA), e.g. in XML format, and offer a registration service for the group to manage all its services. A peer that discovers such peer-group information will however not get any information about services currently managed by the registration service until it joins the peer-group and queries the registration for group services.
A disadvantage of this method is that it is not possible to list peer-group services in the PGA. So the peer-group appears like a “black box” to the other peers.
Another drawback is that every alteration of the peer-group characteristics results in a reboot of the peer-group, which affects all peers in that group. In a peer-to-peer based home network, the consumer will inevitably recognize this process and find it annoying.
In WO02/057917, the peer-to-peer platform includes a peer discovery protocol that may allow a peer to discover other peers and PGAs, which are used to describe for a peer-group the group specific information, membership process and the provided peer-group services. This protocol may be used to find members of different kinds of peer-groups, presumably to request membership. Messages are used to get all known, reachable advertisements within a region on the network. A response message returns one or more peer advertisements or PGAs. But not all configuration protocols are visible until the peer has been granted membership or application rights.